Building the future One Health workforce in Eastern and Southern Africa: Gaps and opportunities

This research article was published by CABI One Health, Volume 4, 2025The Quadripartite comprised of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the One Health High Level Expert Panel collectively support enhancing the One Health (OH) capacities of the workforce addressing OH issues; however, competencies for this workforce are not generally agreed upon, applied uniformly, or always relevant in the global South. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop an inventory of OH education offered by higher education institutes in Eastern and Southern Africa, and (2) define OH competencies relevant for OH training in Eastern and Southern Africa. A survey in 11 Eastern and Southern African countries was conducted with OH key informants purposively selected from higher education institutes offering OH education (n = 1–3/higher education institutes). Snowball sampling was used to identify additional higher education institutes/individuals. Results were validated by OH country representatives. Data were collected using questionnaires, and descriptive statistics were used to present the results. Forty-two questionnaires were completed from 29 higher education institutes, and 166 OH education interventions were reported with 69% being courses contributing to a degree, 21% as degree/diploma awarding, and the remainder were missing data (n = 16). Masters were the most common OH degree program of which the highest number of students taught were from public health/OH, food safety, and applied epidemiology. There are many OH educational courses and activities on offer in Eastern and Southern Africa; however, their total breadth is difficult to assess due to limited awareness of the availability of OH education not only between higher education institutes in a country but also even within a higher education institute between faculties. Numerous cross-cutting and technical competencies were considered essential to work in OH; however, this level of expertise is rarely logistically possible to provide in any single degree program. For OH education to be consistently applied, competency frameworks that are relevant to a region are necessary. Technical competencies are important from a disciplinary context; however, necessary cross-cutting competencies should be a focus in developing the future OH workforce

Potential of Manure and Urea Fertilizer on Maize (Zea mays L.) Productivity and Soil Quality in the Northern Highlands of Tanzania

This research article was published by Agronomy, Volume 15, 2025Many agricultural fields are no longer sustainable due to inadequate replenishment of soil nutrients through organic and inorganic inputs, particularly in smallholder farming systems. As a result, achieving potential crop yields in these systems has proven to be difficult. Field trials were conducted in two long rainy growing seasons in 2021 and 2023 to assess the effects of urea fertilizer and cattle manure as sources of nitrogen (N) on (i) maize crop yields and (ii) soil chemical properties at two sites (Kwa Sadala and Mungushi) located in Hai district, northern Tanzania. The trials employed a randomized complete block design with three replicates, including eight treatments. The treatments were: 0 fertilizer (control), 25, 50, 75 kg N ha−1 (sole urea), 12.5 kg N (urea) + 12.5 kg N (cattle manure), 25 kg N (urea) + 25 kg N (cattle manure), and 50 and 75 kg N (sole cattle manure). Results show that the highest application rate of urea (75 kg N ha−1) produced the highest grain yields of 4.21 and 4.09 t ha−1 in the 2021 season and 4.32 and 4.04 t ha−1 in the 2023 season at Kwa Sadala and Mungushi, respectively. The application of cattle manure at the highest rates increased the soil pH by 3.15 and 2.26% at Kwa Sadala and Mungushi, respectively. Similarly, soil total N, OC, available/extractable P, and exchangeable K increased by 100%, 56.3%, 52.36%, and 19.67%, respectively, at Kwa Sadala and by 16.67%, 18.13%, 20.95%, and 6.76%, respectively, at Mungushi. The use of urea alone at the higher rates or in combination with cattle manure at 50% each resulted in the highest net benefit (NB) in all sites. The findings from this study suggest that a comprehensive approach to managing soil nutrients, such as combining inorganic and organic inputs, may improve crop yields while maintaining soil health

Sub-acute Toxicity Effects of the Methanolic Extract from Searsia longipes on the Hematological, Biochemical and Histopathological Parameters of Wilstar Albino Rats

This research article was published by Natural Product Communications, Volume 20, 2025Background: Searsia longipes is a medicinal plant used in Tanzania and other parts of Africa in the management of various diseases. Despite its wide utilization as folk medicine, there is a paucity of safety information about the extract from this plant. Objectives: The present study aimed at investigating the sub-acute toxicity of the methanolic extract from this plant. Methods: The crude extract from the stem bark of S. longipes was extracted by using methanol, after which the assessment of its toxicity was done on Wilstar albino rats. Parameters including haematological, biochemical, histopathological, as well as organ and animal weight were examined to unveil the toxic effect of the plant extract. Results: The plant extract did not induce significant changes to most hematological parameters except for white blood cells, which demonstrated a dose-dependent increase. Notably, thrombocytes showed an increase that was directly proportional to the increase in the extract dose, although not significant. The biochemical parameters did not show significant increase, whereas the histopathological analysis demonstrated mild morphological changes to the liver and kidney at the highest dose used. There were no significant variations in the organ weights; meanwhile, the body weights in treatment groups expressed time-dependent increases, which is similar to that of the control group. Conclusion: This study reports the sub-acute toxicity profile of the extract from S. longipes for the first time. This information is crucial as it not only fills a significant gap in our knowledge but also paves the way for further exploration of this plant as a potential source of diverse therapeutic agents

N-acetylcysteine modulates markers of oxidation, inflammation and infection in tuberculosis

This research article was published by Journal, 2025Background Half the global tuberculosis health burden is due to post-tuberculosis lung disease. Host-directed therapies have been proposed to reduce this burden. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) provides the conditionally essential amino acid cysteine required for synthesis of glutathione, an antioxidant thiol. We recently reported clinical outcomes of a trial of adjunctive NAC in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, finding that NAC improved the secondary endpoint of recovery of lung function. Here we report the effects of NAC on biomarkers of oxidation, inflammation, and infection in that trial. Methods 140 adults with moderate or far-advanced pulmonary tuberculosis were randomly assigned to standard tuberculosis treatment with or without NAC 1200 mg twice daily for months 1-4. Sputum and blood samples were obtained at specified intervals to measure total glutathione, MTB-induced cytokines, haemoglobin, whole blood mycobactericidal activity (WBA), and sputum MTB burden. Results NAC treatment rapidly increased total glutathione (P<.0001), but levels did not reach those of healthy volunteers (P<.001). NAC reduced MTB-induced TNF-α (P =.011) without affecting IL-10, and accelerated the recovery of hemoglobin in participants with low values on entry. NAC did not affect killing in ex vivo whole blood culture but did slow the clearance of MTB from sputum (P=0.003). Conclusion Adjunctive NAC showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects consistent with the amelioration of immunopathology seen in preclinical models. Two biomarkers of antimicrobial activity showed discordant results; neither demonstrated the enhanced antimicrobial effects seen preclinically. The reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation by NAC may explain its effects on the recovery of lung function post-TB

Economic Factors Influencing Household Access to Clean Water in a Peri-Urban Area of Northern Tanzania

This research article was published by the Open Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2025Economic factors and associated correlations play a crucial role in shaping household access to clean water in peri-urban areas, directly impacting the well-being and health of communities. Most communities globally still lack ac cess to safe and clean water, resulting to illness and even death due to water borne diseases. This study aims to investigate how economic factors influence household access to clean water in a Peri-Urban area of Northern Tanzania. To achieve the objectives of this study, 353 questionnaires were administered, and for qualitative data collection semi-structured interviews were conducted with the key informants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for quantitative data, and qualitative data were thematically analysed. Results show that 70.8% had no piped water, 65.4% were farmers, and 70.5% of individuals earning less than 110,000 TZS were 1.625 times more likely to lack access to clean water than higher-income households (95% CI: 1.221 - 2.163, p = 0.001) and 48.4% depended on water for production. Most communities in Peri-Ur ban area of Northern Tanzania rely on alternative sources of water, including rivers. To achieve sustainable development goal focusing on improvements in water access, policymakers must prioritise economic development initiatives that foster job creation and infrastructure enhancement

Bayesian prediction of under-five mortality rates for Tanzania

This research article was published in the journal of Franklin Open, Volume 10, 2025Under-five mortality is a burden on health and economic systems in developing countries. This study used under-five mortality rate (U5MR) data for Tanzania from 1960 to 2020 to predict trends of under-five mortality over the period of 2021 to 2051. Using a Bayesian state space model, it is found that the model is stable in forecasting. Results show that under-five mortality will continue to decline from 48.9 in 2020 to 32.9 in 2030, a decrease of 32.7%. But despite this decrease, Tanzania will likely not meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for under-five mortality by 2030. Additional efforts by the government through evidence-based interventions should be undertaken to improve child survival by expanding access to health care, especially in rural areas, taking into account local context

Development of ternary PANI/GO-Fe3O4@AgNps nanocomposites for photocatalytic remediation of toxic dye effluent under energy-efficient system

This research article was published by Journal of Molecular Structure /Volume 1324/ 2025The environmental toxicity of effluents contaminated with synthetic industrial dyes and their resistance to conventional treatments drive the need for developing innovative treatment technologies such as visible photoactive catalysts in a photocatalytic system. In this study, novel nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized for photocatalytic remediation of toxic dye effluent under energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) irradiation. Concise instrumental analysis was used to investigate the morphological, functional, particle size, thermal and optoelectronic features of the developed photocatalytic nanocomposites. Their performance was tested with cationic (methylene blue) and anionic (methyl orange) model dyes. The instrumental elucidation reveals the coating of amorphous polyaniline with other composites, giving the blend rapid reactivity, which promotes photocatalyst-dye interaction. The composites exhibit lowered bandgap (2.66 eV, 2.85 eV and 2.27 eV) when compared to polyaniline (3.34 eV) used as macromolecular support via in situ coupling. This accounts for the efficiency of 95 % and 98 % reported for methylene blue and methylene orange, respectively, at optimal experimental conditions of 90 min irradiation time, pH of 5 and dosage of 20 mg/100 mL dye effluent. The study also proposed a Z-scheme mechanism with the vital role of •O2 –, •OH and h+ reactive species in the photodegradation of the dye molecules

Optimizing dataset diversity for a robust deep-learning model in rice blast disease identification to enhance crop health assessment across diverse conditions

This research article was published by Smart Agricultural Technology, Volume 10, 2025Magnaporthe oryzae, the pathogen that causes rice blast disease, poses a significant global threat to rice pro duction. This disease may lead to yield losses exceeding 30 % in susceptible rice varieties. There is an urgent need for more effective detection solutions, as traditional methods—primarily based on visual inspection—are time- consuming and prone to errors. Deep-learning models presented effective solutions for disease identification due to their ability to analyze large datasets. However, the diversity of the training dataset is significant for optimal performance and generalizability of the model. This study evaluated the impact of dataset diversity on model performance and generalizability by developing two models, referred to in this study as the High-Diverse Model and the Low-Diverse Model. The High-Diverse Model was trained on a diverse dataset comprising images from different geographical regions, rice species, environmental conditions, plant growth stages, and disease severity levels. In contrast, the Low-Diverse Model was trained on a less diverse dataset with significantly limited variability. The results showed that the High-Diverse Model significantly outperformed the Low-Diverse Model, achieving a training accuracy of 95.26 % and a validation accuracy of 94.43 %, indicating effective general ization. The Low-Diverse Model achieved an accuracy of 98.37 % on the training data but only 35.38 % on the validation data, indicating a severe overfitting issue associated with limited dataset diversity. This highlights the importance of dataset diversity in developing effective and scalable deep-learning models for crop health assessment

DeltaSense: Africa's remote sensing guardian of landscape degradation

This conference paper was published in the EGU25-8212, 2025Land degradation in East Africa poses significant challenges to ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing. While traditional monitoring approaches focus on direct land-use changes, we present DeltaSense, an innovative remote sensing tool that utilises inland lake deltas as sensitive indicators of regional landscape degradation. This newly funded project aims to expand the tool's coverage across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Mozambique, building upon a pilot study in the Lake Kivu region. Ourapproachcombinessatellite time series analysis with ground-truth data to detect and monitor environmental changes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Through collaboration with key regional institutions, including the Observatoire Volcanologique de Goma (OVG), Université catholique de Bukavu (UCB), Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), and the Nelson Mandela-African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), the project will establish a comprehensive monitoring network throughout the Great Lakes region. This multi-institutional approach ensures robust local expertise and sustainable implementation across the target countries. By analysing delta dynamics over 40 years, DeltaSense provides insights into the spatiotemporal patterns of land degradation. The tool integrates multiple satellite data sources with field measurements, including UAV imagery and bathymetric surveys, to validate and calibrate degradation assessments. This methodology enables the identification of degradation hotspots and evaluation of remediation practices. Initial results from the Lake Kivu region demonstrate the tool's capability to detect various degradation drivers, including deforestation, agricultural expansion, violent conflicts and mining activities. The open-source platform facilitates collaboration between researchers, government agencies, and local communities, promoting evidence-based environmental management decisions. This research represents a significant advancement in environmental monitoring by providing near real-time, actionable data for sustainable resource management. The approach's scalability and adaptability make it particularly valuable for regions facing similar environmental challenges globally, with potential applications extending beyond East Africa

Capacitive deionization for water desalination using Na3Fe2(PO4)3/activated carbon composite electrodes

This research article was published by Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 2025Water desalination technologies are attracting growing global attention as critical solutions to address water scarcity torturing mankind worldwide. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging desalination technology that offers multiple advantages, including low voltage operation and diverse material options for electrode synthesis. In this work the Na3Fe2(PO4)3 (NFP) is composited with the activated carbon (AC) to synthesize AC/NFP composites and tested in water desalination. The characterization results from several techniques reveal the successful composite synthesis. When tested in CDI experiments for brackish water desalination much higher salt removal capacity of around 22.0 was attained by AC/NFP 1:2 compared with 18.65 mg/g of AC electrode. Also, the synthesized AC/NFP 1:2 retain satisfactorily performance efficiency when cycled for twenty runs. However, owing to low resistance at the electrode-electrolyte interface the AC is more energy efficient as it exhibits much low energy consumption of about 0.056 kWh/m3 compared with the AC/NFP 1:2 cell attained 0.15 kWh/m3. This study reveals a trade-off between performance and efficiency: while the AC/NFP 1:2 cell exhibits higher salt removal capacity, it consumes significantly more energy than the AC electrode, which demonstrate superior energy efficiency